While the heat, such as that evolved by a high-economy, performance-optimized diesel engine, for example, can be very low on the cylinder crankshaft housing, this low heat does not apply to “hot zones” such as in manifolds, turbochargers, catalytic converters, etc. As a result of the increasingly compact design of engines, components which are not thermally “compatible” are coming to be in ever closer proximity. Hence, it is necessary to use shielding components such as heat shields to protect adjacent heat-sensitive assemblies, such as sensors, fuel lines, pressure cells, body parts, and so forth. The situation is also exacerbated by the compact structure in that the high packing density of the assemblies constricts the cooling air flow in the engine compartment. Noise abatement measures can also contribute to this problem. For example, under certain circumstances, plastic floor plates for reducing the level of sound emerging from the engine compartment to the Because of their high surface temperatures in some phases, catalytic converters are among the heat sources which may necessitate the use of protective shield barriers. A typical example is that of design measures, such as positioning the catalytic converter in the immediate vicinity of the manifold. This design principle, which performs the function of rapid heat-up of the catalytic converter, and thus of reducing emissions in the cold start phase, shifts a major source of heat into the engine compartment where a considerable number of assemblies are crowded in a tight space. Another reason for the growing importance of shielding components such as heat shields is the trend toward use of thermoplastics. Light and economical materials with their exceptional moldability are rapidly becoming common in the engine compartment, but require special attention with respect to ambient temperatures generated at the application site in connection with other heat-generating engine parts (New materials and Development Tools for Protection from Heat, in MTZ December 2001, Vol. 72, pp. 1044 et seq.).
In addition to the thermal loads to which structural components such as shielding components in particular are exposed in operation, there are mechanical loads, especially due to vibrations transmitted by the support parts to the structural components. In view of these loads, special demands must be imposed on the connecting devices which keep these structural components in position on the pertinent support parts. Conventional connecting devices of the prior art call for spring clamps with a certain pretensioning (clips) which are clamped by stud pins or the like, but also by entire components, for example, solenoid switches of generators, or by exhaust manifolds. The clamping force or holding force results from the choice of the spring material and the structural design of the pertinent springs. As has been found, however, especially when the pertinent structural component is a hot component, the danger exists that fatigue phenomena will occur in the spring material, and will occur to an increased degree when operation-induced vibrations are added. Reliable attachment of the pertinent structural components by the known connecting devices is therefore not ensured.